Bowling is a crucial skill in cricket. The spin-bowling heroics of expert bowlers have decided some of the world’s biggest cricket games. The likes of Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble are revered across India for their spectacular bowling prowess.
Even punters now favor teams with great bowlers when staking on their favorite bookmaker apps. For example, after a bet365 download, they would passionately hunt for enhanced odds on top bowlers in cricket fixtures.
The good news is that bowling is more of a learned skill than an inbred talent. This article discusses four helpful tips that would significantly boost your bowling.
Hold the ball with the proper grip
To deliver a good spin bowl, you need to master the very basics – your grip. How you hold the ball can determine whether it will spin sideways when it bounces on the ground.
So, let’s talk about the proper way to grip the ball if you want it to spin.
Hold up the cricket ball and let the seam (the stitching on a cricket ball) run parallel.
In other words, the seam would run vertically around the ball while facing you. The next step is to place your index finger on the top of the ball and your middle finger under the ball as comfortably as possible.
Meanwhile, the ring finger and your pinky finger should be folded right under your middle finger while your thumb points away to avoid interference.
Engage your wrist properly
Most bowlers use only their fingers when bowling or trying to achieve a spin bowl. It is not that you won’t be able to achieve a spin bowl by using only your fingers, but the accuracy and speed might be low compared to other bowlers who engage their wrists when making a spin bowl.
You have to engage your wrist to deliver a powerful spin bowl that keeps the batsman guessing.
To engage your wrist, it is expected that you have placed your grip on the ball correctly. Now, you have to keep a flexible wrist.
As you raise your hand to deliver your bowl, allow your wrist to slouch. And when your arm is high enough to make a delivery, let your wrist bend forward until your fingers release the ball.
Keep the batter guessing by maximizing the ball’s flight
In case you have no idea what flight is, flight describes when the ball is in the air. It comprises the time the cricket ball leaves the bowler’s hand to when it bounces on the ground.
For spin bowlers, the flight time is as important as the time the ball bounces on the ground and makes a spin.
During flight time, the batter is convinced of the ball’s trajectory and is set to hit it away from his team’s stump. Now, this is where you have to outsmart the batter. Because the ball always spins to the side when it bounces, spin bowlers try to extend the ball’s flight time to make the batter feel sure of the ball’s trajectory. And when it reaches the ground and bounces off to the side, it would be too late for the batter to hit it off.
Choose a run-up that feels comfortable to you
Your run-up is important, no matter what kind of bowling you are about to do. You can see fast bowlers do a run-up. When practicing spin bowling, you also need a run-up.
This is because run-ups help you gain momentum, which will aid you in releasing the cricket ball fast before releasing the cricket ball.
One important thing to keep in mind is not to strain yourself by copying another bowler’s style verbatim.
You are you, and you need to practice the run-up that feels comfortable to you. However, the regular tip is to use 20% to 50% of your energy in your run-up.
This can be achievable by making short energetic sprints rather than engaging in a race. Making energetic sprints is said to help you preserve energy for making a powerful spin bowl.
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Conclusion
Spin bowling is an exciting trick for bowlers to score wickets, but it needs time to practice. So, in your next spin bowling adventure, keep these tips at heart because they can be handy.